Music: {allcanada} Raonic runs out of gas vs. Gasquet at U.S. Open

Monday, September 2, 2013

{allcanada} Raonic runs out of gas vs. Gasquet at U.S. Open

NEW YORK — Milos Raonic lost his bid for a first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final as Richard Gasquet won 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (9), 7-5 on Monday at the US Open.

Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., hammered 39 aces and struck more than 102 winners, but it was not enough to hold off Gasquet as fatigue set in during the closing stages of the four hour 40 minute marathon.

The loss is only the fourth five-set match of Raonic's career. Montreal's Mike Belkin is the last Canadian to reach the final eight of a Grand Slam. He did it in Australian in 1968.

Raonic matched his previous best at a Grand Slam. He'd made the fourth round in the Australian Open (2011, 2013) and the U.S. Open (2012).

Raonic missed on a match point chance in the fourth set on an error as Gasquet fought on to win an eventual tiebreaker and take the match into a deciding fifth set. The U.S. Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that does not play out the final set.

Gasquet advances to play Spain's David Ferrer in the Grand Slam tournament's quarter-final.

By then though, Raonic's legs were gone as he struggled to recover a break for 2-2 but losing his edge in the 11th game as he was broken from a weak forehand into the net on the first of three Gasquet chances to trail 5-6.

Gasquet reached his second Grand Slam quarter-final a game later as Raonic returned long.

The loss leaves Raonic at 32-16 on the season and 21-12 at Grand Slams.

Raonic had a battle in the opening set against Gasquet, whom he beat in their only previous match on Cincinnati hardcourt in 2012. He went down a break in the second game but got it back in the third.

Raonic pushed over two consecutive double-faults to lose serve after holding a set point in the tenth game, with Gasquet levelling at five apiece.

In the tiebreaker, Raonic finally prevailed to end the one-hour set on his second chance with a forehand winner to the corner. A frustrated Gasquet threw his socks onto the court at the changeover but retrieved them before the second set began.

Raonic dropped the tight second set in a tiebreaker but broke open his big game in the third set to sweep with the loss of just two games.

Gasquet profited from his opponent's ninth double-fault of the evening to earn a fourth set point that took it into a fifth set on a Raonic forehand to the net after more than three hours of play.